Dogs are incredible animals. They are intelligent, loyal, and have a knack for picking up a lot of things that humans cannot. Some dogs are particularly good at helping people. Service dogs, emotional support dogs, and therapy dogs are three different kinds of assistance dogs. Unfortunately, the three kinds tend to get mixed up quite a lot by those who aren’t familiar with them. If you aren’t sure how to differentiate between the three, this quick guide will show you how.
Service Dogs
Service dogs require the most training of the three. These dogs are specifically trained to help only one individual, often with a permanent disability Oregon. A service dog has the right to reside with their handler at their place of residence as well as fly with them on any airline. Service dogs can help mitigate either physical disabilities or cognitive disabilities and disabling mental health conditions. In order to be considered a fully-trained service dog, they must be housebroken, have good manners in public, and know at least one task that helps to mitigate their handler’s disability.
Emotional Support Dogs
An emotional support dog does not require any training whatsoever. They do have the right to live with their owners as well as fly with them on some airlines (both require a letter from a doctor), although some airlines have been changing their policies more recently. These dogs are not permitted in public where regular pets are restricted.
Therapy Dogs
Unlike service dogs and emotional support dogs, therapy dogs do not have the right to live or fly with their handler. They do not have the right to enter most public spaces, although many places such as hospitals will allow these dogs into spaces that other dogs are restricted from. They must be well behaved in these environments. Therapy dogs assist many people, whereas service dogs assist only one.
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